In a judgment of 3 June 2016, The Hague District Court ruled on the subject of a Dublin transfer to Lithuania.

The case relates to a national of Tajikistan, who arrived in the Netherlands through Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Lithuania. As the applicant’s Schengen visa had been issued by Lithuania, the State Secretary of Security and Justice submitted a take back request to the Lithuanian authorities, which was subsequently accepted.

In light of recent unrest and violence in Ukraine in late 2013 and early 2014, UNHCR has published a Note calling on States to remove Ukraine from their ‘safe country of origin’ lists. Applicants for international protection from a designated ‘safe country of origin’ may be dealt with in an accelerated procedure with reduced safeguards.